Disney for Days (and Dollars), Part II: Magic Kingdom

Recently, I spent three days absorbing as much Disney as possible with four of my children (ages 5 through 14) in Orlando.
In this three part series, I’ll provide an unsolicited, unsponsored view of what we saw, spent, enjoyed, and didn’t during our recent family adventure.

When I think of Disney, Magic Kingdom is THE park that comes to mind. The castle, the characters, the “Happiest Place on Earth” – this is Disney in the most traditional sense to me.

There is just something special about this place.

I felt it as we passed through the parking booth and made our way to the Monorail at 8:30 this random Thursday morning.

There is so much “cool” factor at Magic Kingdom – starting with the choice of transportation to get there: a super sleek monorail that winds through Disney resort properties, or via a boat ferry with great vistas.

From the moment we arrived, my family felt like we’d escaped reality.

Rides (and Lines) and Ratings by Area

Having a plan at Magic Kingdom is critical – the park is huge and offers a number of themed “lands” and rides within each.

Adventureland

Taking a left as we approached the castle on “Main Street, U.S.A.”, we first rode the “Jungle Cruise” ride. This family friendly boat ride through an amazon-like expedition of staged scenes and animals with a live “skipper” was a snoozer – even for my littlest kids. Rating: 4/10

We used a Genie Plus pass to book Pirates of the Caribbean, a ride that drew rave reviews from each of my children. Rating: 9/10

The Enchanted Tiki show was a snoozer, though the rhythm of the first song (“Tiki, Tiki, Tiki”) will stick with you. The one good aspect is that you can walk right up and into air conditioning. Rating: 2/10

My youngest enjoyed Aladdin’s Magic Carpet ride, though it was more carnival like for my taste. Rating: 6/10

Frontierland

We rode nothing here – Splash Mountain was unavailable for Genie Plus and featured a two-hour wait I was unwilling to swallow. On the day we visited, the “Big Thunder Mountain Coaster” was closed for refurbishment and maintenance.

Bummer.

Liberty Square

The “Haunted Mansion” was great – although my youngest was initially scared as we entered a dark room to start. Rating: 7/10

Not much else to take in here.

Fantasyland

We seemed to spend most of our time in Fantasyland – directly behind the Princess’ Castle, at the back of Magic Kingdom.

The “Seven Dwarfs Mine Train” was the ride that we waited endlessly for (about two hours) at the beginning of the day. The roller coaster was appropriate for the entire family and I waited in line while my wife and children rode the adjacent attractions. Rating: 8/10

My kids all rode “The Barnstormer” mini-rollercoaster, the Dumbo flying carts, and Mad Tea Party as I waited. They enjoyed those rides far better than waiting in the Seven Dwarfs line.

Toward the middle of the afternoon, our Genie Plus reservations opened up for Peter Pan, “it’s a small world” and “Little Mermaid’s Under the Sea” – all of them were less than spectacular, but fine if the wait is reasonable. If I were to skip one of those three attractions, I’d tap out of the Little Mermaid (sorry Ariel). Rating: 6/10

Tomorrowland

The one ride we paid for (in addition to entry and Genie Plus) was Space Mountain – about $7 more for four riders. This rollercoaster is a Magic Kingdom institution and, in my opinion, a must-do. My four riders loved it! Rating: 9/10

The surprise of our visit took the form of “Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor”, an animated comedy show with audience participation. The monsters from the movie perform a stand-up routine – even asking the live audience questions and providing witty, impromptu responses. The show lasted nearly 20 minutes and provided a fun, unexpected, seated, cool (ahhh) respite to an overwise on-the-go day. Rating: 9/10

Other Notes/Tips

If you find yourself looking to kill some time, find a shady spot along Main Street, U.S.A. and wait for a parade. While I’m not sure of the timing of the themed parades of Disney characters and entertainers, they are frequent, lively, and a certain to keep your spirits (and that of your kids) high. Whenever we felt energy dips, a parade would come by and brighten our spirits. In our 12 hours at Magic Kingdom, we saw three, unique parades.

The one mistake we made was pairing a ride too close to the beginning of the fireworks display – my bad. At 8 pm, the fireworks show begins and there are no good vantage points to be found. Additionally, staff is positioned along a walkway that does not allow guests to stop and gawk at the splendor overhead.

In hindsight, I’d suggest setting up at a spot to watch the fireworks show in front of the castle when the sun begins to set – at least having one member of your party commandeer a comfortable position on Main Street while others squeeze in a few more attractions.

How much did we spend?

Tickets for Disney’s Magic Kingdom will be around $150 each (note: discounts are available for multiple days and for Florida residents). Added perks are plentiful, further increasing the costs if you so choose – like Genie Plus, Park Hopper, meal add-ins, and VIP experiences.

My accounting of our day with my wife and four kids at the park, included the following:

Ticket: $150/person

Extras: $15/ticket (Genie Plus)

Space Mountain reservation: $30 total

Food: $80 (including kids meals for late lunch (~$8/child, ~$15 adult entrees), and miscellaneous snack splurges).

Beverages: $20 (bottled water as $4 each, Coke products were $6/bottle)

Note: BRING your own water and snacks! There are water refill stations throughout the park.

Total Walsh Cost of Magic Kingdom: ~$200/person

Yes, it’s expensive for a family – but more tolerable than Hollywood Studios for me.

Summary

There is something for everyone at Magic Kingdom and, coming on the heals of our Hollywood Studios experience the day before, I left Magic Kingdom feeling better about the investment of our time, money, and energy.

Even if you ride zero attractions, there is enough to experience – from the parades, to shops, to food, to free shows, to the nighttime fireworks show.

The only potential downfall will be the amount of people at the park on the day you go – it was PACKED! Additionally, news of Disney’s recent sell-outs will ensure your day in paradise will be shared with hundreds of thousands of others. In spite of the crowds, though, we found plenty to do and more-than-adequate space to roam.

As the monorail zipped silently back to the parking lot, the Princess castle faded, and our aching feet (over 20k steps taken) took us to the minivan, each of my kids thanked us for the experience. – that was magic in itself.